


Make it Better

by singilu



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-14
Updated: 2014-12-14
Packaged: 2018-11-13 08:27:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,565
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11180892
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/singilu/pseuds/singilu
Summary: Make It Better, Chanyeol/Sehun, PG-13, 3571 words,-college au- Sehun finally agrees to a date and everything goes wrong. Well, almost everything.- written for shiritori, originally postedhere





	Make it Better

Too bad people can't actually teleport, Chanyeol thinks, not for the first time in his life, as the train stays unmoving in the tunnel, lights dimmed and people murmuring around him nervously. The last time he's voiced this complain aloud, Sehun has looked at him blankly, face passive and unimpressed. The thought of Sehun makes Chanyeol pull at his carefully styled hair, messing them up and frustrating himself even more in the process.

Chanyeol's known Sehun long enough that he knows his blank face, corners of his face slightly downturned, eyes a little cold, is really just that. A face, the default state of Sehun's mimic muscles. It doesn't mean Sehun is judging you, that he is cold or condescending or bored. Not usually anyway. Still when Chanyeol imagined his first date with Sehun, his _ideal_ first date with Sehun, that wasn't the face that greeted him in front of the bubble tea shop where they should be meeting. He imagined Sehun coming only after Chanyeol's already arrived, strolling down the street, back straight, head held high, a baseball hat backwards on his head, pushed as much into his forehead as possible. But then Sehun would see Chanyeol, already waiting, and he'd smile, a little smile, maybe half smirk, eyes curving and lips relaxing a little, as he'd call out "Hyung!"

As Chanyeol looks at his watch, sitting in a metro stuck between two stations due to some disturbance on the tracks, Chanyeol realizes that will most definitely not happen. There's a big chance that what he'll see is Sehun's default face, and maybe this time Sehun will even be judging him, because he will be late for their very first official date. This is of course, if Sehun waits for him in the first place, because there's no signal in this metro wagon at the moment and Chanyeol can't even call him to make sure he goes to sit inside and waits for him, or goes to buy a snack if he's already hungry.

Chanyeol didn't imagine only his ideal first date with Sehun. He’s also imagined plenty of disastrous first date scenarios, has dreamed them up for the past week, ever since Sehun texted him on a Friday night, when he was completely drunk, as Chanyeol later found out, and Chanyeol read.

_About that date you keep asking for every week. Fuck it all. Let's do it. You better not screw this up, hyung._

It's a good thing Sehun didn't call at the time because the text could not be taken back. Chanyeol didn't let that happen. Instead he solidified his plans for the perfect relaxed first date and then proceeded to freak out about it, not having slept properly for the whole week, imagining what everything could go wrong. He then attempted some kind of risk management, taking preventive measures such as buying two more alarm clocks, canceling the band practice, the tutoring session, everything but classes so that he had free schedule and minimum things that could distract him or delay him. He made sure all his laundry was washed, bugged Baekhyun for three days until they picked out the perfect outfit, he listened to all kinds of dance music to make sure he can discuss it with Sehun, and checked with Jongin for any possible allergies on Sehun's side so that he wouldn't take him to a place where Sehun would hate everything or where Chanyeol would accidentally get him killed.

The day so far was going relatively well; his professor has kept him back for a little while, introducing him to another student in need of a tutor, but Chanyeol's counted with things like this--having only three hours instead of three hours and a half to get himself ready and under way should be enough. He's skipped lunch, just in case, not wanting to run into anyone and being too nervous anyway. The last thing he wanted was to experience some kind of stomach troubles this afternoon.

So until the moment Chanyeol stepped into that wretched train, everything was going well. He even counted in some potential delays, which is why he left the campus with almost an hour of reserve, but the train has been stuck here for forty minutes already, and they were still five stops away from Chanyeol's destination. Chanyeol stares at his phone furtively and starts to wonder how long it would take him to develop the power of telepathy.

 

Apparently, it takes longer than an hour and twenty minutes, which is how much longer it takes Chanyeol to get out of the metro. He runs all the way to the bubble tea shop, not bothering to call Sehun once he's out of that train because he doesn't want to hear just yet how disappointed Sehun probably is. When he gets there, no one is waiting for him, and he pulls at his hair again, figuring there's no point in keeping any semblance of style now. Just as he's about to dial Sehun's number to at least try and apologize, someone elbows him into the side.

"Is this what they call fashionably late these days?" Sehun asks, and Chanyeol stares, mouth open but silent. Sehun wraps a scarf around his neck, and buttons up his coat, clearly having just come out of the bubble tea shop. When Chanyeol still says nothing, he raises an eyebrow. "I bought you a bubble tea, but it got cold and disgusting when after an hour you still didn't show up, so I threw it out."

"You've waited," Chanyeol finally manages to say, astonished. He bends down, elbows on his knees as he tries to catch his breath now that he's realized how much winded he is. He gets up after a moment, conscious of his messy hair and sweaty forehead and bows again, a ninety degree bow. "I'm sorry I'm late. The train got stuck." He heaves another breath and tries to pat down his hair.

Sehun looks ... amazing. He isn't actually wearing a cap, or the blue ripped jeans he's been constantly wearing around campus these days. Instead, he has a rather smart looking coat on, his hair is styled off his face, and he has black skinny jeans and a nice pair of shoes on. Sehun has dressed up and waited for him, and Chanyeol's heart swells and then his stomach flops over sickly because Chanyeol's a mess and more than an hour late.

"Hyung, relax, it was on the news. Obviously you'd be in one of those trains that actually got stuck. I saw the report on TV in the shop," he says. Chanyeol cannot catch his breath. Sehun isn't exactly smiling, but he has this almost fond look on his face. Chanyeol's wanted to take him out on a date for at least six months now, maybe longer if he's honest with himself, and Sehun had just kept laughing at the idea of the two of them dating. And now, here they are, Sehun making an effort for him and Chanyeol already screwing it up.

"I wanted to be the one to buy you the bubble tea, and then we would walk to the bistro because the road is kind of nice and the weather forecast for today said sunny and no wind, one of the last warm autumn days." He shakes his head. "I'm sorry, Sehunnie."

"Well, let's try the walking part of the plan then." Sehun shrugs. Chanyeol straightens up, and tries to smile at Sehun. His mind is still racing, wondering how to make it better, but he steps up next to Sehun and points in the direction of the bistro. He's found that cute little place during one of his walks in the area, and he thinks Sehun will love it, with its delicious food, quirky decoration, white tablecloths and that something ... special in the air. He can still salvage this date, Chanyeol tells himself and asks Sehun how his days was.

Sehun starts a story about how Jongin was a butt that morning, how Sehun was late to class, and how most of his socks have turned pink after his last trip to do laundry even if he doesn't remember owning any red piece of clothing that could have done the damage. Chanyeol tries to listen attentively, nodding along and even starting to laugh, when his stomach suddenly growls especially loudly, startling Sehun.

"Oh my god," Chanyeol says, face scrunching until he remembers that Baekhyun told him not to do it because it looks creepy. Sehun starts laughing really hard.

"Hyung, you can be so funny when you don't want to be," he says, moving to stand closer to Chanyeol as they walk down the street. "Were you saving up your appetite for this dinner?" he asks.

"I couldn't eat because I was too nervous," Chanyeol blurts out, wounded, then realizes what he's said. "I mean," but the damage is done. Sehun looks pleased like a cat that got the milk, but his ears turn a little pink and he licks his lips.

"It's just me, hyung," Sehun says, and Chanyeol wants to say there's no _just_ here, that it's because it's Sehun but of course _that_ gets stuck in his throat.

The walk is long, and in Chanyeol's ideal scenario, they'd stop by a cool music shop that's along the way to listen to some new tracks for a bit, but Chanyeol thinks Sehun must be starving as much as he is by now, so he just points it out to Sehun and promises to take him some other time.

They're still good twenty minutes away from the bistro when suddenly there's a loud thunder, and in the next minute, it's pouring.

Chanyeol doesn't think it could have rained on his parade any more than it is right about now. Sehun looks at him incredulous when Chanyeol curses and apologizes because he doesn't have an umbrella.

"Let's run," Chanyeol suggests, because the rain is cold as it gets dark and the wind picks up. Sehun scrunches his nose, and Chanyeol knows he's not too fond of running, but he jogs along. Chanyeol looks back at him from time to time, watching as Sehun's hair gets plastered to his forehead, dreading the way the corners of Sehun's mouth keep dropping as his frown deepens. "Only a little longer," Chanyeol says, trying to sound cheerful and convinced. Sehun only continues to run in silence.

When they stop in front of the bistro, Sehun shakes his head like a wet puppy, and Chanyeol feels guilty about the fact he finds that very attractive. A raindrop trails down Sehun's cheek, and Chanyeol would like to wipe it off with his thumb, sooth Sehun's cheek to make him feel better, but he doesn't dare.

"Running in the rain isn't in fact very romantic," Sehun deadpans, and Chanyeol is brought back from his reverie, thinking that maybe if it was someone else here with Sehun, he would think differently because Chanyeol is feeling kind of dreamy. Maybe he's just drowsy from all the running, from the cold and nerves and hunger. He reaches behind Sehun to open the door to the bistro, only the door doesn't give. Chanyeol looks at the shop window properly then and feels his stomach dropping dangerously yet again. Now, he realizes the inside of the bistro is dark, and there's a heavy lock on the door. Sehun choses that moment to turn around.

"Due to technical difficulties, we are closed until further notice," he reads. "No way," he adds, as an afterthought, sounding completely resigned.

They are both wet and cold and hungry, and Chanyeol doesn't think any of his nightmare scenarios compare to this. He doesn't bother apologizing anymore. If he's lucky, Sehun will want to be his friend again, in a week or so, but for now, everything is completely in ruins.

"Let me at least feed you something," he says defeated, grabbing Sehun's elbow and dragging him to the main street a bit away, where he knows a ramyun shop. He doesn't bother running anymore, Sehun hates it and they're drenched already anyway. He just keeps on walking, biting his lip and trying not to shake from disappointment and anger at about anything and everything. When they get in, the shop owner, who's known him ever since Chanyeol started college and fell in love with this part of the city, greets them cheerfully. When she notices the state of them, she starts fuzzing.

"What have you been doing, you silly boys," she chides them and runs to the back. That's a good thing because there's no way Chanyeol is telling her they've tried to go on a date. She comes back with towels and sits them down, and Sehun watches curiously as she flits around Chanyeol some more before going away with "I'll bring you today's special, that'll warm you up."

They eat mostly in silence. Chanyeol isn't in the mood for conversation. He knows he's just making it worse, but he fears that if he spoke, the disappointment would reek from his words and he'd only make everything worse. Whatever little hope he's had when Sehun finally agreed to this date has now gone, has probably stayed stuck in that metro tunnel, and Chanyeol just wants to get Sehun home where he can take a warm shower and drink warm tea and complain to Jongin.

"Everyone knows you here," Sehun says at last, when the owner's son comes out, and Chanyeol automatically performs a complicated bro handshake with him.

"I like this part of the city. I guess, I just ... I wanted to share it with you. For a long time, it felt like this was just mine. It might be silly with all the people usually milling around, but you know, we don't really hang around here, and it's. Forget it," Chanyeol sighs.

"The ramyun is really good," Sehun says almost kindly in reply, and his shoe tip brushes Chanyeol's under the table. Chanyeol just pulls his feet under his chair. He sees Sehun biting his lip, and he's such a loser because Sehun is being polite, but it just tastes like pity in Chanyeol's mouth and he wants the day to be over. He sneezes then, and it completely surprises him. Great, he probably just sprayed Sehun's food. He drops his chopsticks.

"Finish up, Sehunnie. I'm going to pay and call a taxi." Chanyeol gets up, pays at the small counter and dials one of the numbers he has saved. He might as well spend the money he got ready for the fun things to get Sehun home as fast and as warm as possible. When he's done, he comes back to the table, but before he can sit down again, Sehun pushes his bowl away and gets up too.

"I'm ready to go," he announces, and Chanyeol figures he's truly had enough.

 

The taxi comes just as they step outside. The downpour has turned into just to a light drizzle, and the roads are shining in the light from the streetlights and billboards. Chanyeol looks out of the window and can't really appreciate the view. The journey to Sehun's dorm is silent, only the hum of the traffic and some trot radio station providing the background sounds. When they get out of the car, Chanyeol's hands are trembling from cold and distress, and he tries to hide them in his jean's pockets, but it doesn't work, the pockets stuck to him like wise because of the wetness.

"Well, as far as first dates go, I'm pretty sure this one is my most memorable so far," Sehun says lightly, then sneezes. Chanyeol can't even look at him. "What about you, how far up there does it rank?" he continues, when Chanyeol says nothing.

"I ... I'm so sorry. Please forget this ever happened. Clearly it was foolish to think-- You were right, let's not mess things up. We're good friends, and I'll buy you hot chocolate tomorrow, so just go in. I don't want you to catch a cold." Chayneol tries to push at Sehun, tries to turn him around and make him walk the few meters towards his dorm, but Sehun doesn't budge.

"Chanyeol," he says, quieter, his hands coming up to wrap his fingers around Chanyeol's wrists. He doesn't push Chanyeol's hands away, and only repeats Chanyeol's name when Chanyeol kind of just stands there. "Chanyeol," he says one more time, a little impatient already, and one of his hands grabs Chanyeol's chin. Chanyeol has to look at him now.

Sehun's hair is still wet, his cheeks are red from the cold and his bottom lip is trembling a little, but he still looks so good, and he's looking at Chanyeol with this softness, his mouth relaxed, his eyes a little droopy. Chanyeol still wants to kiss him, still wants to hug him and spoil him rotten even if he knows Sehun takes advantage of that from time to time. He still wants to be the first one to hear about Sehun's worries and about his joys, he wants to get to know him even better, and hold his hand. He still feels all of that, and the fact that he screwed up this one chance makes his chest ache.

"I know today wasn't ideal," Sehun says then, "but I'm sure you could find a way to make it better, if you tried." Sehun looks pointedly at Chanyeol's lips, but Chanyeol doesn't think he gets it because the obvious implication behind that gesture seems absolutely nonsensical to him in this moment. Sehun didn't even want to go on a date with him a week ago; even in Chanyeol's ideal scenarios they don't kiss on their first date. Maybe Chanyeol would hook his pinkie around Sehun's on the way back if things went well and coax him to watch a movie with him on a Wednesday night, but he was ready for a lot of effort before he gets to kiss Sehun.

"I don't know what you mean," he says, "nothing could make today better," he adds dejectedly. "I'm--"

"You're sorry, I know," Sehun interrupts. "I can't believe I have to actually say this. I think," Sehun pauses, licking his own, now almost blue, lips, and Chanyeol can't grasp why Sehun's ears are suddenly turning red again, "I actually _know_ that you could kiss it better," Sehun finishes.

Chanyeol knows gaping is not an attractive look on him. He shakes his head, and his own fringe slaps against his forehead painfully. He's not dreaming then. But it is very awkward now because Sehun is looking at him, ears red and eyes suddenly very uncertain, lips parted a little, and Chanyeol just stands there, mute. He's glad he's already gripping Sehun's shoulders because he needs the support right about now.

"I," he tries, but it comes out as a croak, "I ... okay," he exhales shakily. "Okay, I think I could do that."

Now Sehun raises an eyebrow and his mouth quirks into a smirk, just like it does when he's teasing Yixing and the other doesn't even realize it, or when he's managed to get Baekhyun to buy him a lunch somehow. "Could you, really?" he asks, and it sounds almost amused. Chanyeol can't believe it, still. He figures the best way to find out if he isn't just having hallucinations from cold and nerves is to lean in and just ... do it.

The first kiss lands on the upturned corner of Sehun's mouth. Sehun's lips are cold and he sighs a little when Chanyeol moves so that their mouths are aligned, a drag of chopped lips against Sehun's smooth ones. When Sehun doesn't pull away, Chanyeol brings him closer and presses their lips together again. When Sehun still stays put in Chanyeol's arms, Chanyeol nips at his bottom lip. Sehun gasps this time, and then somehow Sehun's tongue is in Chanyeol's mouth and Chanyeol's head is spinning from it. It starts to rain again, heavy drops falling down. Chanyeol drags one of his hands up and into Sehun's wet hair, fingernails scratching Sehun's scalp a little, and sucks on Sehun's hot tongue some more, tasting him and reveling in how perfect it all feels. They only break apart when a shudder runs through Sehun's body, and it's clearly from cold this time.

"I have to say though," Sehun says as he goes back for one more short peck, "kissing in the rain has a certain something to it."

Chanyeol can't help it; he laughs, and Sehun grins at him before grabbing his elbow and pulling him towards the door at last. "Jongin went home for the weekend and we're both going to be sick. No need to annoy Baekhyun with your sniffling," he's saying. "Plus someone needs to make me hot tea and instant ramyun while I recuperate."

Chanyeol sneezes instead of a reply. "Or maybe it would be me, making it," Sehun amends after a quick glance at Chanyeol's face. "At least we can kiss since we'll be equally snotty and all that."

Chanyeol honestly thinks that on the scale from one to dream-like, the first date with Oh Sehun is from completely another league. He plans on telling Sehun just that once they get that hot shower and collapse in bed. They can spoon. Anything for a bit of body heat.


End file.
